


Golden Rule

by 221brothermine



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, F/M, Reylo - Freeform, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-01-18 13:38:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12389184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/221brothermine/pseuds/221brothermine
Summary: Adjusting to university life is hard enough. An arrogant professor breathing down Rey's neck about making the right choices, of all things, isn't helping in the slightest.Teacher/Student AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

 

Kylo Ren

Introduction to Philosophy

Solo Building, Room 402

Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:00 - 9:00 AM

Rey scrolled down the page to skim through the rest of the syllabus. It was five pages long. Standard. A list of assigned readings took up two pages. The grade percentage split between four essays, two tests, and a presentation. The objectives of the course were outlined in neat, concise bullet points. Rey ignored the university policy on plagiarism and etiquette since it was nothing she would have a problem with.

There were no office hours listed.

Rey huffed. It was the weekend before the start of her second year at Tatooine University and she was already ready to blast her brains out. Her planner was starting to fill up with due dates, and those were only from the syllabi to start. The summer had felt brief and fruitless. She had seen Finn here and there, but he traveled down south for most of the summer to be with family and hometown friends. Lounging by the pool and reading books idly was over with. The only thing that hadn't ended was the heat. The sun grilled central Georgia like a waffle. Rey already knew she'd arrive to every class sweat-stained and panting.

She began to scribble down the due dates for the essays into her pastel green planner. She briefly caught sight of the topics: Determinism vs. Free Will, Utilitarianism vs. Deontology, The Existence of God: Emperical vs. Deductive Arguments. This instructor was heavy on strict dichotomies.

She added the dates of the final exams, but the presentation date was TBA.

She wondered what kind of professor didn’t have office hours. Maybe he was going to announce them in class. Or maybe he was scattered and forgot to add them to the syllabus. She made a mental note to ask him. Professors generally liked prepared, serious students, and scheduling meetings with them was about as serious as it could get. 

She decided to minor in philosophy as a nice compromise between her and her father. He father would be upset if she abandoned engineering in pursuit of the arts or social sciences, thinking them too flighty and unreliable- something for emotional people.

She made the decision at the start of the new semester and Kylo Ren had been the only professor available by the time Rey’s registration window opened. She thought the syllabus would give a little insight as to what to expect from him, but it was devoid of any introduction to clue her in about the type of professor he might be. She tried to look him up on the university website, but the only thing that popped up was his name and business email under the  _Philosophy Instructors_ category. No picture.

Rey heaved a sigh. She didn’t want to have to go down this rabbit hole because of all the unnecessary anxiety it would cause, but she could never resist in the end. 

RateMyMasters came up with two reviews. The general rating: 2.1 out of 5.

Rey stopped breathing.

Her first thought was that she had never taken a professor with a rating that low. Her second thought was that she shouldn’t panic. The guy only had two reviews. He must have just started out, and two reviews were not an accurate measure of a person. 

She read the first:

“This was a required class for me and he was the only instructor. The university made a BIG MISTAKE hiring him for this job. This guy is a complete douche-bag. He drones on and on about his viewpoints and gets downright mean when anyone challenges him. Good luck trying to pass. Super tough grader on the essays and very awkward outside of class.”

Alarms went off in Rey’s head. Oh, she did  _not_  need this. She couldn’t afford to stress over this course on top of her engineering courses. 

She scooted closer to the edge of the seat and got her face close to the laptop screen, scrolling down to the next review and muttering prayers under her breath that it be better.

“This guy is MEAN!!! Very condescending and arrogant. I barely passed the class. He’s kind of hot but do NOT let that fool you” 

Rey’s eyes flew to the Hotness Meter: this reviewer had given him a 4.5 out of 5. She scrolled back to the first review. They gave the same score. 

 _They approached each category objectively, at least._ She had to stay positive.

The rest of her day, as she predicted, had been filled with dread. She thought about calling her father but knew he had enough to think about running the Jedi Engineering Company, even with his sister helping run things as co-CEO. 

She considered dropping the course and taking it another semester. But what good would that do since it was possible that no other instructor taught it? It was a required course, and she couldn’t give up on her philosophy minor that easily, not when she had just won her father over. He wanted her to have an economics minor. If she gave up now, he would insist that she choose it instead, and the fighting would pick up again for who knew how long.

Choosing the engineering major hadn’t been completely his influence. Rey felt an obligation to the family company, which had provided her with a secure and privileged life since birth. It was understood that it would pass down to her whenever her adopted father and adopted aunt were too old and frail to run it themselves. She didn’t need a degree to inherit it; she had began to learn the tricks of the trade here and there, mostly from Aunt Leia, who wasn’t as much of a stickler as her brother. Rey grew up sitting in on corporate meetings while on her lap. She was used to meeting people, and, as she got older, she began reassuring them that their future was stable, that the company would make the world a better place. She wasn’t sure if she believed all of it, but she wanted to have the same calm and reassuring presence Leia did. 

What Rey  _really_  loved were the _inventions._  The focus was on plant engineering specifically; they built technology meant to sustain the planet’s plant life and, in areas where it was depleting, help it regrow. They weren’t a family of corporate crooks eager to make money off machines- they were building efficient and forward-thinking technology to save the world. I least that’s what Luke said. 

To know what it all  _really_  meant, Luke had told her, she had to learn the process and value it, hence the send off to college in the States. Tuition wasn’t a problem thanks to the makings of the company (a few billion a year), and Rey was grateful for the opportunities her background could afford her. 

It hadn’t stopped the stress from eating her alive. 

First she had missed home in London. Luke and Leia had grown up in the States, but they moved to London to pursue their business venture. Soon after, that’s where Rey was born and had grown up for the next near-twenty years. 

The States were never home for her like it had been for them. She missed the taking the Tube to and fro. No one here knew what marmite was, and coffee was much preferred over tea. Learning the vernacular took some effort and there were still phrases that escaped her. The switch to the imperial system of measurement was a nightmare as an engineering major.

Now she had bigger problems to deal with, like Professor Kylo Ren. 

What kind of name was that, anyway? She realized the reviews were clouding her judgement of this man, who she hadn’t even met yet. It was only two reviews. Maybe those students were the only ones with bad grades. Maybe he was actually some cheerful, lenient, intelligent professor.

She shut her eyes, deciding to hope for neither good nor bad. She had to work out a game plan. She would conquer this course, no matter what it took. Rey was a fighter, and she damn good at getting things done. 

First thing was first: textbooks. There were two in total, and both of them could be purchased online. She got the first off an online textbook rental company and had no choice but to buy the second at full-price from the university itself, since it was the only vendor. Both would arrive sometime in the upcoming week. She mentally patted herself on the back, satisfied. She was already ahead of the game.

One more day of rest tomorrow, and then Monday: the beginning of the rest of of her life. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

 

Rey set her alarm to 6:30 AM the previous night to have time to brush her teeth, dress, eat breakfast, and walk to class. The class was in a building on the other side of campus and she wanted to have plenty of time to get there. She also accounted for time she could lose looking for the building and the room.

She arrived thirty minutes early to an empty classroom. It was the regular size of a lecture class, but all of the long tables and chairs were concentrated in the front of the class near the single Smartboard. Rey appreciated the wooden moulding along the ceilings and walls. The tables and chairs matched. A projector hung from the ceiling. It was comfortable enough, although it was devoid of any decoration.

Rey made a beeline to the front row table and took a seat right in the center. She pulled out a journal, a pen, and opened her planner to the current date: August 24th.  She positioned herself comfortably, twined her hands together on the desk in front of her, and waited. 

Students began to file in one by one. Half of them arrived ten minutes after she did. The other half came five minutes before class started. Rey smiled politely at the girl who took a seat in the front row next to her, glad to have a companion who was probably just as eager to learn.

Somewhere in the back of Rey’s mind, the RateMyMentors reviews were still floating around. She dismissed them. Those reviews could be misleading depending on who wrote them and why. Anyone that was upset over a low grade, no matter how fair it was, were bound to leave scathing reviews. 

Rey was just beginning to think it would only be her and the girl who sat in the front row for the day. Then, five minutes before class, a man with dark curly hair and a brown leather jacket entered the room. He slumped down in the seat to the right of Rey.

Rey’s first thought was that he looked older than the rest of the students—pushing late thirties maybe. Rey liked that. She was always encouraged by seeing people who were working on their degrees later in life. Her second thought was that he was handsome. He had a chiseled face and warm brown eyes. He caught Rey’s gaze and smiled. She smiled back, and her cheeks grew warm.

She took a deep breath and refocused her gaze on the clock hanging above the board. Three minutes till class started.

Everyone else had fallen back to the second, third, fourth and fifth rows. She wondered if they read the reviews. Half of the students were struggling to keep their eyes open. The other half was digging around in their backpacks, zipping and unzipping. The chairs scraped against the floor as people readjusted their positions.

Rey was smoothing over the page of her planner for the fifth time when the door opened again at 8:00 o’clock sharp.

Rey thought might he was another older student, though not much older than herself. He had a young face; long, with a striking nose and full lips, complimented by voluminous locks of dark hair. When he came to stand behind the podium, the shuffling of clothes, backpacks and school supplies died. No one had been talking, but the silence became deafening as everyone took in the sight of their new professor.

No doubt they had all been imagining someone older. Rey never had a full-fledged professor younger than forty-five, and he looked at least a decade younger. _Age is no indicator of ability_ , she reminded herself. Then again, maybe the reviews she had read had something to do with his age.

The handsome man beside her must have been having similar thoughts. He gave Professor Ren a once-over and raised his eyebrows, as though not sure what to make of him.

Professor Ren didn’t look up as he set down a messenger bag on the table at the front of the class and began shuffling through its contents. He pulled out a stack of papers and placed them on the podium. At his full height, he leaned against it with ease and had to adjust the microphone so that it stood at its full height too.

His clothes were form fitting. He wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with a turtle-neck collar, and from the brief glimpse Rey when he walked in, skinny jeans, or just _very_ restricting pants. He had a watch bound around the wrist of his left arm, which he glanced at with a slight pout before he began to work the computer. The tapping of his fingers on the keyboard and the whir of the projector screen coming down from its alcove in the ceiling echoed throughout the class.

Rey wished that the class had windows. There was nothing she could look at to distract herself, no trees to remind her there was a world outside this class and whatever happened inside it.

The projector came on and a blue stream of light shot out, displaying an image on the projector screen, which had finished extending out..

Professor Ren cleared his throat.

“Welcome to Philosophy 101,” he started. He had a deep voice fitting for his large frame. “I won’t waste time on ice breakers or introductions. I value efficiency and hope you do too.” He scanned the room, and for a moment, his eyes locked with Rey’s. She sat straighter in her seat instinctively before he looked away to the next student. Rey swallowed, remembering the two reviews. _Condescending. Arrogant._

“We’ll start with attendance.” He began to call names. The girl to the left of Rey was named Kaydel Connix. The man to Rey’s right lifted his hand in response to Poe Dameron. 

“Rey Skywalker,” Professor Ren droned

Rey’s hand shot up. “Here.”

Professor Ren’s gaze found her, and Rey’s throat went dry when she saw a slight furrow his brow.

She thought he might be attaching the name to the face at first, but when he didn’t move on to the next name after a few seconds, she knew something wasn’t right. She had caught his attention for whatever reason, and she wasn’t sure she was going to like it.

“You’re not from here, are you, Ms. Skywalker?” he asked.

Of course. It must have been her accent.

Rey shook her head. “No. I’m from the U.K., actually.”

Professor Ren kept his gaze focused on his attendance sheet but nodded contemplatively. “And are you finding the States to your liking?” he asked.

“I think so, yes,” Rey replied.

“You think so,” he echoed. The edge of his lips quirked briefly, as though he was attempting to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. “Not as comfortable as home, I’m sure.” Rey had no time to process whether she was imagining the slight tone of sarcasm before he continued calling names.

Rey could feel the some of the students boring their eyes into her back.  She straightened in her seat and focused on the clock above the board and timed her breathing with the guidance of the second arrow. 

Rey wondered if he had recognized her. She was by no means famous, but her name had raised eyebrows before. Not many people in the States recognized it, even less so at the university. But back home in England, Luke Skywalker’s daughter was a topic of interest.

Professor Ren didn’t ask any other students questions by the time he finished calling everyone’s name. Maybe it was a coincidence. He had just chosen her for a brief chat because she was one of the few students sitting in the front of the class. For all she knew, this was a good sign. 

“You were instructed to read the syllabus,” Professor Ren said. “And I expect that you have. We won’t waste time going over it.”

Rey cleared her throat and raised her hand.

“Yes?” 

 “I was wondering why the syllabus doesn’t list any office hours?”

Professor Ren paused for a moment, lips slightly parted, with an expression that was hard to read. He looked down at his stack of papers and picked up a packet Rey presumed was the syllabus. 

“Ah. That it doesn’t,” Professor Ren said. “Did you not receive an email about this from my assistant?”

“No,” she murmured, a few other voices joining hers, while others shook their heads.

Professor Ren observed everyone’s reactions, then placed his hands on either side of the podium. “I do not have office hours. If you have any inquiries, you can address them to your Teacher’s Assistant. I’ve already asked him to send an email with an explanation, but it seems he may have neglected to.” 

The girl next to Rey cleared her throat and spoke up. “What if we have questions the TA can’t answer?”

“If you pay attention to the reading material and lectures,” Professor Ren gave a slight shake of his head, “there shouldn’t be any questions.”

Kaydel Connix sat in stunned silence.  That ended the conversation on office hours.

Professor Ren positioned himself behind the podium again and adjusted the color of his shirt. “Open your books to page 173,” he muttered.

At once there was movement all around Rey. She looked behind her and saw the other students pull out their _Introduction to Philosophy_ textbooks from their backpacks.

She raised her hand again.

Professor Ren only noticed Rey’s hand when the noise died down. Rey tried her best not to stutter out the words. “Professor Ren, I don’t have my textbook yet.”

 “Why not?”

“I’ve ordered it," Rey explained. "But it hasn’t come in the mail.”

Professor Ren sauntered over to his messenger back and retrieved a water bottle. He unscrewed the cap, leaned back his head and took a swig. He kept drinking until half the bottle was empty. Lara Connix exchanged a frown with Rey, and Poe Dameron gave out a sound Rey thought might be a scoff. Professor Ren sighed once the bottle left his lips.

“I assume this also means you didn’t do the reading.”

Rey swallowed. “No, Professor. I—I thought the reading assignment was for Wednesday.”

“Then you didn’t read the syllabus carefully per my instruction.”

This conversation was going on for far longer than she wanted it to. She could feel her classmates boring their eyes into her back.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t see anything about when to do the readings.”

Kylo Ren set down the bottle, turned back to the podium, and grabbed his copy of the syllabus. He stepped out from behind the podium, and with just four wide steps, came up to Rey’s desk.

“Let’s see now,” he said. He flipped the first page of the syllabus, then the second. Rey sunk lower into her chair; his movements seemed to get brisker with each page he turned.

He stopped at the page he was looking for and set down the syllabus with a thud on Rey’s desk, sliding it across the table. 

“What do you see written on this paper?”

Rey glanced at Kaydel Connix, who had scooted ever so slightly away from them and kept her gaze cast down. From the peripheries of her vision, Rey could see Poe Dameron looking at Kylo Ren with a slack jaw.

She didn’t understand any of this. How could this be happening on the first day of class? What game was he playing?

She gave the syllabus a cursory glance. It was a familiar page—or so she thought. “Dates,” Rey said. “Dates for the assigned reading.”

“And what else?” Professor Ren droned. 

Rey could feel tears welling in her eyes in spite of herself. She shrugged. “I—I don’t know. The names of textbooks, the page numbers.” 

Professor Ren folded his hands behind his back. “And underneath the word ‘Dates'?”

Rey’s vision was starting to blur. She leaned closer to the paper and grabbed it with shaking fingers. She looked closer and squinted. A small sentence in what must have been 7-point font spelled out:

_To be read before class._

Her heart sunk deep into her stomach. She let go of the syllabus and hid her hands underneath the table. _Don’t cry in front of the whole class on the first day_ , she told herself. _Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry._

She couldn’t look up at Professor Ren, knowing she would burst into tears for certain, but she could sense him looking down on her. She gave a stiff nod to show that she understood. 

“Precisely so, Ms. Skywalker,” he said.

To her great relief, her swept up the syllabus in his hand, and, with a sharp turn, went back to his place behind the podium. Then he opened his copy of the textbook and began discussing the text. 

Rey sat hunched over her notebook for the rest of the class. She scribbled down a few notes of what was discussed, but for the most part she stared intently at the floor and didn’t say another word the rest of the class. It had taken a few minutes before tears stopped welling in her eyes, but she didn’t dare sniffle.

Professor Ren lectured about the definition of philosophy and spoke in a very concise, clipped tone.

“As amateurs, you might imagine that the answers in this class are subjective, but they are not. There are objective truths.”

It was all she could do not to bare her teeth, but she did not want to be the focus of his ridicule any longer.

She heard a tiny _snap_. She looked down and realized she had broken the tip of her pencil from pressing too hard against the page.

There was one objective truth Rey was already familiar with in this class, and it very much had to do with Kylo Ren being comparable to male genetilia.

9:00 AM came after what seemed liked many hours. He muttered a simple, “Class dismissed.” Everyone shot out of their seats and made sure to sidestep the podium on their way out.

Rey lined up behind Poe Dameron on the way to the door. She tried to keep her gaze focused on the floor the entire time, but when the time came, she couldn’t help but look up. She made sure her expression masked nothing.

A moment ago, Professor Ren seemed to be focused on packing away his messenger bag, but his movements paused at her proximity. His eyes roamed upwards and became level with Rey’s elbow, then with her face.

Her breath caught in her throat and she snapped her head away, stepping as close to the orange backpack slung over Poe’s shoulder as she could without pressing up against him completely.

She prayed that Professor Ren wouldn’t think to call her name. She felt like he was seeing right through her, aware of every ill thought against him she had been having for the duration of the hour. She didn’t dare to look back, but from the periphery of her vision, she sensed him.

When the door swung open and the cooler air of the hallway relieved her skin, she let out the breath she’d been holding. As soon as she separated from the crowd, she broke into a power walk, intent on getting as far away from the classroom as possible.

Well, that was that. Everything in the RateMyMentors reviews had been confirmed in a day. Professor Ren was arrogant and condescending, and Rey was already a marked woman in his book. But it didn't matter. Rey had made her decision about this class, and she would stick to it. She already had her future career decided for her by Luke, but this one small thing she wouldn't let anyone take away. Especially not a man like Kylo Ren.

Outside, she basked in the warmth of the sun. The walk home became a series of breathing exercises. Inhale for four seconds. Hold breath for four seconds. Exhale for four more. Repeat.

Calculus with Analytic Geometry was coming up at noon, so she stopped went to her apartment for lunch and a nap.

She scarfed down a ham sandwich with mayonnaise and Swiss cheese on whole wheat and checked her school email at the same time.

There were three emails in her inbox. One of them was from the university dean welcoming students back to a new school year. The next was from her upcoming class from Professor Ackbar: a reminder to look over the syllabus that ended with an enthusiastic message about how he was looking forward to seeing his students in class. Rey hoped he was as nice as he seemed.

The third email was addressed to the Intro to Philosophy class. She had only been away from an hour. What could it be now? Rey put down her sandwich, not sure if her appetite would remain much longer if this turned out to be some kind of cautionary email from Professor Ren about irresponsible students who didn’t read the syllabus.

Rey took a deep breath and clicked it open.

 

_Dear students,_

 

_It is my pleasure to welcome you to Introduction to Philosophy. My name is Armitage Hux, and I will be the overseeing Teacher’s Assistant for the course this semester._

_This means I will be looking over your assignments and assigning grades in concordance with rubric criteria. I will also address any questions or concerns about the course and subject itself._

_Today it has come to my attention that you were not informed about how office hours are to be conducted. I had asked Professor Ren to list them under my name in the syllabus, but it appears there was a misunderstanding and my name and office hours were not included._

_In any case, I have listed them below for your convenience:_

_Solo Building 424_

_Mondays: 1-2PM_

_Thursdays: 10-12PM_

_If you have any questions, you may contact me at[gahux@tatooine.edu](mailto:gahux@tatooine.edu)._

 

_Thank you,_

_Armitage Hux_

 

Rey snorted. Maybe _misunderstandings_ with Professor Ren were not exclusive to her. She just needed to make sure they wouldn’t last longer than this week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any errors pertaining to anything, feel free to let me know. I skimmed more than truly edited. Thank you all for kudos and reviews. I will respond to the latter soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

 

Wednesday morning greeted Rey with a slate-gray rain. She scrambled into her rubber boots and took out her big green umbrella before heading to class. The downpour was heavy, but Rey didn’t mind. She liked the rain. She even smiled to herself as she walked, admiring the calming hue of the sky and the cool air, thankful for the absence of the sun’s glare. It reminded her of home.

In spite of having her phone number and the international messaging app she had downloaded to his phone, Luke had chosen to email her from his business email to inquire about how her first week of university was going. He reminded her to be careful with the funds her transferred over to her credit card – to only use them if it would help enhance her learning. She had replied curtly, saying that the engineering classes seemed good so far. She’d only used the money for school supplies and groceries. She hoped everything was running smoothly at Jedi Engineering. Say hi to Aunt Leia.

She had typed out two long sentences about her frustrating philosophy professor, then erased them, deciding to save that topic of conversation for whenever Leia called.

She arrived fifteen minutes before class. There were only two other students there so far. Their movements echoed loudly throughout the large room as they unpacked their things. One of the students she vaguely remembered from Monday, and the other one was Poe, who was sitting in the same seat as last time. She considered taking a seat in one of the back rows this time but quickly decided against it. She had no reason to be afraid. Professor Ren was an asshole, sure, but not a threat, and certainly not someone who would influence her seat preferences.

As she walked over to her seat, Poe looked up from unpacking his bag and gave her a smile. “I see you didn’t drop the class.”

“Wasn’t much of a choice, really,” she said, smiling back. “You’re still here too.”

Poe shrugged. “I’m in my last year of grad school. I was just curious about philosophy, but I can take it pass/fail if I want to. Let’s see what today brings first.”

A few more students filed in. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a huge decrease in numbers from the last class. Kaydel Connix came in and sat beside Rey again, to Rey’s relief. The girl had blonde hair that she had fashioned into two high buns at the top of her head which Rey decided she really liked.

Rey still hadn’t received her textbook. She noted that nearly everyone was coming in with a book, and it made her heart race faster, so she occupied herself with taking out her things and writing her name and the date on a blank page in her notebook instead.

On the way over, she had reasoned with herself that Professor Ren already knew her situation and had already expressed his disapproval. She couldn’t will the book to get here in the mail any faster, so she would make the most out of the class lectures without it. There wasn’t any written homework to be done, anyway.

Once again, Professor Ren arrived at 8:00 o’clock sharp. He paused at the door for a moment, his hand splayed against the wood as he kept it from shutting too fast, and glanced at the classroom. He found Rey’s gaze first. She was sitting in the front row, so it came as no surprise. He held it for a moment, expressionless. Rey tried for a smile, more out of an instinct to be polite than any genuine feelings of warmth, but she was sure it looked more like a grimace.

His gaze flickered away a second later. He looked to the podium and then made a sweeping view of the overhead lights. The door thudded closed, and he made his way over to the front of the class. He discarding his messenger bag on his table. Rain drops had darkened the bag in small smudges.

The rain hadn’t spared him either. His dark hair was peppered with rain drops and some small strands of hair stuck to his face, which he brushed out of the way by running a hand through his hair as he rummaged through his bag. He was breathing like he’d been in a hurry, chest rising and falling, his mouth slightly parted.

Like last time, he retrieved a stack of papers from his bag and stalked over to the podium. He cleared his throat, fist hovering over his mouth. What little shuffling and whispers there were died  down.

“Sim Aloo,” he said, looking at a paper somewhere on his podium. A  boy in the back raised his hand. Professor Ren gave him a quick glance before moving on to the next name.

No greeting and no polite conversation like the kind Professor Ackbar started his classes with, Rey thought. At the very least he was practical. She wasn’t sure Professor Ren was capable of polite conversation anyway.

He glanced up each time a student responded until he located them at their desks, memorizing their faces, Rey guessed. By the time he had called her name, she’d braced herself.

He didn’t look at her like she’d expected. Instead, he gave her desk a cursory glance and mumbled, “Your textbook, Miss Skywalker?”

Rey took a steady breath. She had prepared for this.

“It still hasn’t come in the mail,” she said.

The shipping had been from California and wouldn’t get there till the end of the week. She cursed herself for not choosing the accelerated shipping option. She was trying to be economical with her money, but it wasn’t paying off.

“Curious,” Professor Ren muttered. A small frown appeared in his forehead. “Why attend class at all if you aren’t familiar with the material?”

Rey gaped at him. The silence in the room became oppressive. She wanted to slide lower in her chair, but she stayed still, keeping a steady gaze on Professor Ren, her chin jutted out slightly.

“I’m perfectly capable of taking notes,” Rey stated.

Professor Ren looked up at her sharply. “A waste of time if you don’t understand what you’re writing. And you won’t be able to follow today’s exercise without the text at hand.”

Adrenaline, hot and pulsing, surged through Rey’s veins. She could feel her throat getting dry. Her mouth hung open but she couldn’t make words come out. Was he being serious? Should she leave, if her presence was so undesired and offensive to him? Should she stay and take notes as she had determined to do? This was turning out to be worse than she had imagined. The resolve she had entered the classroom with melted away with every second that ticked by.

“I can share my book,” someone said.

Rey turned her head in the direction of the voice. Poe was leaning forward in his seat and looking directly at Professor Ren, jaw slack. Then, without warning, he stood up. He slid his backpack and textbook over to Rey, then grabbed his chair and placed it right next to Rey’s before plopping down in it. He looked back up at Professor Ren and spread out his hands in a shrug as if to say, “Now what?”

When Rey slowly lifted her gaze back up at Professor Ren, her heart jolted. The man’s expression was dark, like a storm passing over the sun. His teeth were clenched. He worked his jaw as he glanced between Rey and Poe, until finally his mouth set itself into a resolved pout.

“How convenient,” he hissed.  Rey looked over at Poe, and the flare in his eyes hadn’t died. He kept a challenging gaze on Professor Ren, who returned the glare with equal gusto.

Professor Ren leaned forward, gripping the edges of the podium. He opened his mouth as though to speak, teeth bared, but whatever confrontation was about to happen between the two men died when Kaydel Connix’s hand shot up in the air.

“Will you be posting your lecture slides online, Professor Ren?”

Professor Ren’s gaze flitted to her. He stared at Kaydel as if he had just remembered he was in a classroom full of students, who, when Rey surveyed the rows behind her, were all watching with wide-eyed astonishment.  He threw Poe one last glare before he looked back at Kaydel.

“No, I will not be posting them. You should take notes in class in your notebooks. And I don’t want to see anyone taking pictures of the slides on their phones.” He picked up his water bottle, which he had brought with him to the podium, tilted his head back, and drank. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down against the pale skin of his throat as he drank his fill, like he was trying to quench himself of whatever fire Poe had just ignited. When he was finished, he sighed and wiped his reddened lips with the back of his hand. “Any more questions?”

Kaydel shook her head. Everyone else stayed silent. Rey leaned forward in her seat and shielded her face with her hand, pretending to watch Poe search for the relevant page for today’s lesson, though she was sure he wasn’t looking for any particular page.

Professor Ren resumed calling attendance. After he was finished, he walked over to the door, and for an absurd moment, Rey wondered if he would open it and suggest Poe and Rey leave the classroom, telling them they would be formally withdraw for insubordination.

All he did was turn off the lights and turn on the overhead projector to display a PowerPoint. Covered under a blanket of darkness, Rey could finally breathe. Poe was bold, she thought. Bolder than she would have dared to be. Although she was grateful for the way he’d stood up for her, she wasn’t sure what this would mean for the two of them in the future. A man like Kylo Ren would not let this go easily, she knew.

Professor Ren became nothing but a dark shadow lingering behind the podium. Every once in a while, when he turned his face away from the slides, the light from the screen fell on half of his features, illuminating it in a white glow. He has a long face, and his eyes were so dark in the low lighting they looked black. A few times she thought he might have been staring at her, but in the dark, she couldn’t be sure. She focused on the slides. They were formal, just white text over a sleek black backdrop and a thin red line separating the title from the bullet points.

“The arguments we will be discussing are not subjective. They are not opinions,” Professor Ren explained, the same hint of condescension in his voice, “because they are backed up by logic, not feelings or personal biases. I expect you to do the same in your papers.”

Rey reminded herself of the good. For one, she wouldn’t be loaded with homework for this class. From what she could make out of the textbook, the reading did look dense, but at least she only had to read it. Four papers, two exams. No sweat. Although that one review did say Professor Ren was a tough grader. Judging from everything else, she didn’t have a hard time believing he liked leaving red slashes all over the work of his students.

The PowerPoint outlined what he expected of the future papers and how to construct arguments and counterarguments and what formalities to abide by in the essays. Rey had to admit the notes were helpful, so she scribbled down a few points in her notebook as best as she could in the dark.

Once he had finished reading off the PowerPoint, he went back to turn on the lights. Rey squinted from the sudden brightness. Poe rubbed his eyes and stretched. Rey noticed he’d been dosing throughout the presentation, his eyes shutting closed and then reopening rapidly every time Professor Ren’s voice went up a notch in volume. Rey wondered if he had a busy life. Maybe he had kids or a full-time job that kept him up at night. A nagging thought appeared in the back of her brain about where she would end up post-grad. Here in Atlanta? Back in London? Maybe somewhere else in the States. A big gleaming city like New York.

Sometimes it felt like Rey had no direction at all, simply letting life take her places instead of figuring out where she wanted to go. She wasn’t sure if what Luke had in mind for her was what she wanted. A position on the board of Jedi Engineering was more about business and politics than it was about getting her hands on blueprints and scribbling math equations. And Rey way good at math. _Really_ good.

“Hey.” Poe nudged Rey lightly with his elbow. She looked at him, startled out of her thoughts. For a moment she thought Professor Ren had been calling her and she hadn’t been listening, so she looked up to the front of the classroom, expecting to find his dark eyes glaring at hers.

To her surprise, Professor Ren was not there.

“He stepped out for a phone call,” Poe explained. “We’re supposed to sit here and read the next chapter. Book’s all yours if you want it.” Poe slid his textbook closer to Rey, and she looked up at him, frowning. “Won’t you need it?”

Poe leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands behind his head. “I’ll skim through it later. I just want to piss off that smug bastard if he comes back.” He glared at the door as he said it, as if he could see Professor Ren behind it. Then he looked over at Rey and gave her a small smile, charming and boyish. “Besides, you need it more than I do.”

Not for the first time around this man, Rey felt her cheeks flush. “Thanks,” she said, and she meant it.  

Rey leafed through the book until she got to the second chapter. It was titled “The Free Will Problem.”

As she began reading, Rey forgot about what had transpired earlier and scooted a little closer to the table in her seat. She was reminded why she had enrolled in this class in the first place. Not the professor, but the philosophical debates that she knew would leave her head spinning and questioning everything she knew about the world. Free will was a good one to start with as any.

There was only 25 minutes left of class, but Rey made good progress. She managed to get through five dense pages and wrote down the definitions of free will, determinism and hard determinism in her notebook as they came up in the text. She tried not to make up her mind about anything just yet, though determinism had a disconcertingly strong logic to it so far.

Kaydel interrupted her a few minutes before class ended to ask for Rey’s phone number so they could exchange notes. Rey was happy to give it, knowing this was one of those courses she would need a friend for. Kaydel seemed practical and friendly and Rey thought she might try her hairstyle at home later instead of her usual three buns (a feat of engineering she thought up all on her own).

By the time the clock struck 9:00, Professor Ren still hadn’t come back. No one asked questions, filing out of the classroom with bored or relieved expressions. Kaydel waved Rey goodbye and she waved back. She thanked Poe for the book again before handing it to him.

“Anytime, Rey,” Poe said. He swung his backpack over one should and winked before heading out the door.

Poe had been the last other student in the class. Rey had been so immersed in the text she hadn’t been prepared as everyone else to pack away her things. The sound of her movements echoed against the classroom walls as she put away her notebook, highlighters, pen and water bottle. She could hear the muffled sound of students chatting beyond the door as they filed out into the hallway.

Just as she finished packing up, she looked up and noticed Professor Ren’s things lying on the table. She wondered what kind of teacher just abandoned class for nearly a half hour for a phone call. Like the rest of the class, of course, she wasn’t sure she minded.

She pulled up the straps of her backpack and shuffled over to the table where his messenger bag sat. It was made of black leather and looked durable. It was worn around the edges and the front looked a little dusty and scratched, like it had scuffed against a few surfaces, but otherwise it was perfectly intact. It was probably expensive, given the material and the good design. Rey drew closer to it when she noticed the logo stamped on the front flap: a circle with sixteen rays pointing inward from its circumference, encased within a hexagon.

Rey had seen this symbol before. She wasn’t sure where. She recognized it as surely as a scent one recognizes from the past but can’t attach to a memory: the perfume of a woman walking past on the street, a particular hand soap in someone’s guest bathroom, the inside of a car. The familiarity was not a comforting one. The symbol looked sinister with its hard lines and teeth-like center. She frowned, trying to recover the memory, letting her hand hover over the bag until her fingers brushed against its smooth surface. She traced the symbol and muttered, “Where…?”

A harsh _bang_ made Rey jump. She withdraw her hand and looked in the direction of the noise. Professor Ren stood by the door, which he hadn’t stopped from shutting closed loudly this time.

Rey spun around to face him. “P-Professor Ren,” she stammered.

His expression was almost impassive. He stood still and observed her, his gaze falling to her feet and then back up to her face. She noticed the black smartphone he clutched in his hand.

“Can I help you?” he finally said.

Rey looked to the side of him at the wall, then at his feet, which were clad in black dress shoes.

“Just heading out,” she muttered. He stood perfectly still and didn’t move away from the door. Rey swallowed.

“Do you always make a habit of snooping?” he asked. His voice wasn’t harsh like she’d expected, but mocking. Rey thought about her school record.  She knew she had looked strange with the way she was touching his bag. He probably thought she was stealing something. Could he report her? It’s not like they weren’t already off to a rocky start.

But remembering how he had gone out of his way to humiliate her earlier, something hot flared up in her chest. She forced herself to look at him. There was no reason to cower when she had nothing to hide. “I wasn’t _snooping_ ,” Rey said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go to my next class.”

She took a step forward to demonstrate she intended to leave, but not any further. Kylo Ren was _massive._ His shoulders were broad and muscular, and his long-sleeved shirt was form-fitting enough not to hide the strength of his arms. His head nearly touched the doorframe. Rey didn’t want to know just how much he would tower above her if she stood too close.

His hands curled into fists at his sides, and for a moment, Rey was afraid she would see that same flash of anger in his eyes that he directed at Poe as he accused her of stealing his things. Then, just as she took a deep breath and prepared to defend herself, he uncurled his fists. He put his hand on the door knob, twisted, and pushed the door open. He leaned his back against the door and stared at her. “After you,” he said, tilting his head toward the now-silent hallway.

Rey had been so sure he would reprimand her that it took her a moment to realize he was holding the door open for her. The tension in her body fell. She readjusted the straps of her backpack and walked cautiously toward the door. She kept her gaze to the floor and did not slow down when she muttered a “thank you” in passing him. She could feel his gaze following her out the door, but she didn’t dare look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been stringing you guys along, but this one's gonna be a slow-burn, sorry. :) It isn't very action-heavy yet, but more of that to come, and some mysteries to unveil. 
> 
> Textbook chapter title taken from an actual philosophy textbook. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed. Comments are dearly appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

A storm raged that night and the rain drummed hard against the small window by Rey’s bed. She buried herself under the covers until the duvet went up all the way to her nose. It wasn’t chilly, but she liked being buried and protected under all the layers. The thunderstorm boomed loudly every few minutes and she could hear nearby car alarms going off. The windows sounded as if they were about to shatter.

The noise was otherwise soothing. There were other reasons Rey couldn’t sleep. For one, she was going over the list of homework she had for her engineering classes over in her head. She was also thinking about the symbol on Kylo Ren’s messenger bag and the strange way it was familiar to her somehow.

It was nearly midnight and Rey planned to be asleep about an hour ago, but thoughts of Professor Ren didn’t let her rest. She replayed the morning’s events over in her mind, thinking about the way he had scolded her and Poe and then left abruptly for a damned phone call. Was this something she should report to Tatooine University? Someone would have to do something about him, right?

She thought back to when he found her alone in class, not making a sound as he entered. He just stood there, observing her. She almost would have preferred if he had told her off—then his intentions would’ve been clear and the class would be over with. She could withdraw—or maybe he’d withdraw her himself. She would possibly be scarred for life, but at least she wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore.

Yet a small part of her had to admit she was intrigued. She started to think of the class as a personal challenge for her to overcome. She was stubborn like her aunt, and like her father, too, though he was stubborn in a different sort of way, and this class felt like one of those things she couldn’t let up on. She wasn’t proud, exactly, but since it had only been a week of having Professor Ren’s class, she didn’t think of backing down as an option. Maybe she could collect a slew of complaints against him over the course of the semester and prove to the administration that he was unfit for this position. No student deserved to suffer like this.

Then she wondered why in the world no one has tried to do something about him before. He couldn’t have been teaching for long, given his young age and the fact that there were only two reviews on RateMyMasters, so maybe not enough people have been exposed to his atrocious behavior at Tatooine. Or maybe someone _had_ tried, and failed.

At the very least, the material was, so far, interesting, and his instructions on the essays were direct and clear. Rey could follow instructions. Despite Professor Ren drilling into them about what little significance their personal opinions had on the subject, Rey held a grudging appreciation for the logic of philosophy, too. It wasn’t too dissimilar to math, really.

But then there was the matter of the symbol….

Rey sighed and threw off the covers. She sat up in bed and reached for the laptop sitting on her nightstand. It had a protective plastic cover, white and orange in color, that Rey had purchased before her trip here. Propping the laptop open was a nightmare to her eyes. She punched the key that lowered brightness with fervor till it was on the last notch.

She hovered the fingers of one hand over the keyboard and chewed on a nail on the other hand. The text cursor blinked at her from its place at the search bar.

_fashion brand logos_

She flitted through a few webpages before deciding the logo she saw on Professor Ren’s bag decidedly did not resemble a designer logo. She would have remembered that, anyway, being relatively familiar with them. No one at her dad’s office wore anything that could be considered thrifty. Rey was lucky enough to be able to take a trip to designer stores every once in a while herself, though she tried to keep those trips to a minimum. Most of the time she went because Leia had invited her. _You and I deserve a little spoiling_ , her aunt would say. Leia never let Rey buy shoes that didn’t make her feel like she was floating.

_bag brands_

_hexagon with circle and rays symbol_

Rey huffed and rubbed her eyes. Was this really worth it? Why did it matter kind of bag Professor Ren had? _Because he’s suspicious,_ Rey told herself, though that wasn’t convincing. It wasn’t just the general rudeness. There was something in his eyes and the firm set of his jaw, and his not arriving to class any earlier than necessary, and the way he’d refused to have office hours, like he was trying to make himself as inaccessible as possible. And just how unprofessional was it, despite the relief it brought to Rey and the class, to take a phone call for nearly half the class? He was hiding something, Rey was sure. It didn’t seem like his PhD was a fabrication; he talked in the clear and precise way, of a tenure-track professor. The syllabus wasn’t too sparse or too scattered, the expectations clearly outlined. The terms and concepts, thus far, had been clearly explained. Rey could grudgingly admit that he was eloquent and certainly had an eye for detail, though that hasn’t been to her benefit. His open-mindedness, or lack therefore, was the problem.

Apart from his visible disdain for his students, Rey could tell he had something else occupying his mind. Much as Rey told herself it had to do with him not even bothering to condescend to teach them, she had a nagging feeling there was more, and it had something to do with this symbol.

Rey thought of the Jedi Engineering symbol: two wings with a spire and a star in the middle. For the sake of it, she typed in _engineering companies_.

She flitted past a number of them on the first webpage that came up. Jedi Engineering was near the top. After clinking through various links, she eventually ended up looking at companies outside the engineering sphere: technology companies, airline companies, motor companies.

She almost skipped past it when scrolling through the list of motor companies, having lost some focus while trying to stifle a yawn. Luckily, the symbol was hard to miss with its circle of teeth-like spires The moment she passed it, she quickly scrolled back up again.

It was black in color and stood against a white backdrop. Rey sat up a little straighter and looked at the name of the company listed next to the image: First Order Automotive.

A quick Google search later, and Rey was hunched over, face closer to the screen than it should have been, her eyes quickly scanning the words of an article published nearly a year ago about First Order Automative.

 

_SOLO, INC. WELCOMES NEW BOSS, CHANGES NAME_

_Solo, Inc. announced its new CEO on Monday, December 21 st, along with a new name. Though previously unaffiliated with Solo, Inc., Leader Snoke was named the new head of the company. The change in leadership comes days after the unexpected death of the company’s founder, Han Solo. On December 18th, Solo was found unresponsive by a worker inside a Solo, Inc. warehouse. Though no official autopsy report has been released, officials suspect a heart attack to be the cause of death. _

_Leader Snoke comes to the scene as an experienced business man. For over twenty years, Snoke has been the CEO of First Order, the world’s largest arms-producing company and aerospace contractor. In a statement to the press, Snoke announced that “needed changes” are in store for Solo, Inc., starting with a new name. In a few months, the car company will do a corporate merger with First Order and be rebranded as First Order Automotive._

 

Rey paused her reading and leaned back against the wall with a huff. She remembered where she knew the symbol from now.

The First Order company was not unfamiliar to her. Though she had forgotten the name of the company itself, the news article was bringing back memories that she hadn’t cared enough to pay attention to till now. Mostly, they were of whispers she had heard around the Jedi Engineering headquarters. The death of Han Solo, while he hadn’t been young, sounded suspicious to many. He was a popular entrepreneur, even at the international level. Those at Jedi Engineering who had met him at various business galas and fundraisers said he appeared to be in good health, springy, still piloting planes in his seventies.

Uncle Luke sneered about how corrupt First Order was, like all the other weapons manufacturers. Aunt Leia nodded solemnly, adding that she had heard rumors about First Order doing arms trafficking, funneling contraband weapons and ammunition to countries in the midst of war just to make a profit. There had been no official investigation, though, only what she heard. With a sad smile, she added, “It’s a shame about Han Solo. I’ve seen him on the news. That man was easy on the eyes.”  Leia had given Rey a wink Rey wasn’t sure how to interpret.

So did Kylo Ren work for this company? They weren’t a company that designed bags, so he must have gotten one as an employee. Or maybe he was just a really big fan. Rey wasn’t sure which would be worst.

Out of curiosity, Rey went on the First Order website. She jumped around different pages, skimming titles of articles here and there. She came upon the “Company Leadership” page. Leader Snoke’s name was the first that popped up, as expected. The rest of the names she didn’t recognize. She went to the next page on the scroll-down menu, which was the Board of Directors page.

The icon where the picture of the first member should have been was empty, showing only a square image of an grey, anonymous person. The title was Chairman of the Board, and underneath that, the name: Kylo Ren.

Rey stared at her screen, opened mouth. “Shit,” she whispered out loud. She shut her laptop closed instinctively, feeling as though she had seen something she ought not to have seen.

There were no names like Kylo Ren anywhere else, at least none that she knew. She was sure it was him. Of all the college professors, she had to end up with the one working for a company that was rumored to be dabbling in illegal trade.

Rey stopped herself and took a deep breath. The illegal trading bit—that was only a rumor. Still, she thought, it wasn’t like her father and aunt to engage in idle gossip. If they said something was true, it probably was. And it was bad enough that he was part of a company responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of weapons of war, illegal or not. Rey let out an incredulous breath of laughter and shook her head. And he was a philosophy professor, of all things! Whatever reasoning Professor Ren was applying to moral decisions in the classroom clearly did not seep into his real life.

It explained a number of things, at least, Rey thought. His bag, his leaving to take what was likely a business call, his holier-than-thou attitude. Maybe this is why he hadn’t been fired yet. He was a man of influence. Maybe he even made large donations to the university and they couldn’t fire him just because of a few students complaining. Why he wanted to teach in the first place was beyond her.

The more Rey thought about it, the more her resolve faded. The information shouldn’t have bothered her, yet she found herself feeling disappointed. A part of her was holding out hope that this was a case of first impressions being wrong, but this piece of news only confirmed what she already thought of Professor Ren. She didn’t like him, not at all, but now she wasn’t sure she ever _could,_ even if she wanted to. It was always good to establish good relationships with teachers. Things could get better as a semester went along. Building a good rapport could come in handy for mentoring, or for recommendation letters, and her first philosophy teacher could have been a good start if she planned to pursue philosophy further, which was another issue altogether, considering Luke didn’t know she was even considering an alternate path yet…

Rey put her laptop aside, sighing and sinking back into bed. When she looked at the clock, it read 1:00 AM. She groaned, remembering that she planned to get up early the next day. _Coffee in the morning it is, then,_ she told herself, right before entering into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 

The next morning, the sun was hiding behind the clouds but was well past the horizon, judging from the brightness outside. Rey swung open the door to the _Cantina Café_ , a bell ringing above her head. She came up to the counter and rubbed her eyes as she looked up at the menu. Her mind was still hazy with sleep because of last night’s little research project, so she ordered a vanilla latte for here. It wasn’t ideal for Rey to rely on coffee to get through the day—she was becoming more and more like Leia as time went on—but her physics homework couldn’t wait.

Rey came to _Cantina_ whenever she needed a pick-me-up. It was also a good place to study, but only in the mornings where there wasn’t too much noise and much better seating options. Rey came in a little later than usual that morning, nine instead of the usual eight, so there were a few more students there than now than usual.

After paying and picking up her coffee, Rey scurried over to her seat usual seat by the windowed wall looking out onto the street outside. It was the second table nearest the door. Even though it probably wasn’t the best seat for optimal concentration, Rey liked that she could take a mental break by people-watching when she needed to. There was always a flurry of activity going on outside, with Tatooine students running to class, flipping off cars that didn’t slow, gesticulating as  they talked on the phone, or simply walking, stuck in their own daydreams.

A few sips of coffee later, Rey was furiously writing in her composition notebook, only glancing up at her physics textbook to look at the next exercise or to flip back a few pages to look at example problems when she got stuck.

The hum of the espresso machine and dishes clanking somewhere in the café kitchen was comforting and familiar, and the sound of one boy typing away on his laptop at a table behind her was just the sign of productivity she needed, though she supposed he could be doing anything, like playing video games or even watching porn. Being in college was like living on another planet, she found.

It was only when the bell above the door rung that Rey glanced up. No one had come in since she had, and her people-watching extended to the café patrons themselves.

For a moment, the noise of cars rushing by on the street outside was clear and amplified until the door shut closed again. Kylo Ren stood at the door, partially masked to Rey by the garbage disposal station that stood between him and her side of the café. He walked to the counter, not looking at Rey or anyone else.

Rey held her breath. The barista was not at the counter, preoccupied with something in the kitchen, and he was the only employee there so early in the morning. Kylo Ren stood at the counter, waiting. Rey was sure that he would begin looking around out of boredom. Inevitably, his eyes would find Rey.

Rey ducked her head a little lower and frowned at her physics textbook like it was a specimen under a microscope that required her closest attention. She was on the brink of a scientific discovery here. The next Stephen Hawking. Not for a moment could she tear her eyes away lest the inspiration slipped away and she failed the world. 

Yet all she saw on the page was black ink stamped on white pages. The numbers and Greek letters didn’t make sense. She began to write something in her notebook, but she hadn’t the faintest idea what it was. She realized she was rewriting the equation she just finished doing with ease a moment earlier. Right now, physics was foreign to her.

What was he doing in a place like this? she fumed. Yes, it was a popular place, Rey told herself, and yes, it was just at the edge of university grounds, but him being just wasn’t _right._ This was mostly a place for students, and though he could have passed for a student himself, it was also a quaint, comfortable place. He was—well, whatever the opposite of that was. Rey could picture him brooding in the back of a bar somewhere, a strong drink in his hand, but certainly not here. It was strange to see any professor outside of the classroom, but Rey would have preferred to see Professor Ackbar, or Professor Holdo, who’s homework she was trying _so_ hard to do.

With the utmost caution, Rey lifted her gaze, hearing that the barista had returned and was now taking Professor Ren’s order. She couldn’t make out the words, but she recognized Professor Ren’s distinctive deep voice saying something.

She saw him reach into the pocket of his coat, a black trench, and take out a wallet. She thought she saw his head turning and she instantly refocused her gaze on her notebook again.

From the periphery of her vision, she saw him look through his wallet and take out a credit card, making a payment. He picked up the receipt and made his way over to the pick-up counter. A few more minutes passed. Rey’s homework was completely ruined now, the equation she had been rewriting turning nonsensical.

She stopped writing, sensing movement ahead. Professor Ren got his coffee and started walking.

Rey pictured him heading towards the door and leaving with sparing her a glance, or that he would make a turn and sit on the other side of the café with his back turned to her. She could slip out that way without trouble. When his footsteps only grew louder and she knew he had gone past the door, she knew that he was coming to her table.  

Rey did her best to keep a neutral expression and began writing again. When the noise of his movements stopped near her table, she paused.

“Rey.”   

Rey looked up. Kylo Ren was staring back at her, a drink in his hand.

Rey tried to keep her tone cool, though she was startled that he had used her first name instead of the usual 'Miss Skywalker.' So he was the sort to drop formalities outside the classroom.

“Professor Ren,” she said. 

He looked at her table, his gaze jumping from her coffee to the textbook and then to her notebook, which she was pressing her pencil into a little too hard. It was only school work, but Rey felt like had was looking at something private and had the urge to cover it up.  

Professor Ren worked his mouth thoughtfully. “Physics,” he observed. “Engineering, I presume.”

Rey did not like his prying eyes. She did not want to have a conversation with him, either, least of all about her field of study. She fixed him with as much of an annoyed stare as she could muster and said, “Can I help you with something?”

He looked from the table back to her. The coffee he had, which seemed to be the same medium size as her own, looked absurdly small in his gloved hand.

“No, but I can help you. Stop by my office," he said. 

Uh-oh.

Rey took a moment to process the words. Half of the coffee that she had gulped down in the past half hour kicked in just then, her heart beginning to drum faster in her chest. Did he mean to say that he would give her extra help for the course? That was offensive, considering he hadn’t even seen her work yet. Maybe he was planning to drop her out from the class altogether, and this was his clever way of telling her so. Or maybe he really did think she had been stealing from his bag. _First Order_ _bag_ , Rey reminded herself. His opinion didn’t matter if he worked for that company. She had nothing to be afraid of, even if she had been acting suspicious.

“I thought you didn’t have office hours,” she muttered.

“I don’t,” he agreed with a shake of his head.  “But I thought you might want your umbrella back.”

“My…Oh,” Rey faltered. She thought back to her umbrella and found that she couldn’t remember carrying it when she was heading back home on Monday. It hadn’t rained since that day, so she hadn’t given it a second thought. Relief coursed through her. It was only that.

“You forgot it in class on Monday in your…haste,” he added. Rey didn't miss what he was hinting at and felt her cheeks warm as she recalled the incident at the end of class. When she looked up at him, she thought she might see him smirking at her embarrassment, but he remained stoic.

“All right. Where can I pick it up?” she asked, licking her lips and blinking hard in frustration.

“I’ll be in my office today at noon. Come then."

Rey gritted her teeth. He didn't even ask if she was available at that time, simply commanding that she be there. She could have had plans. For all he knew, she was horrible at physics and her homework could take her more than three hours.

“I might be busy,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Fine,” he droned, looking around the cafe as if he was suddenly bored. “But you’ll have to deal with my TA.”

Rey thought about saying she would _much_ rather deal with the TA than him- she would much rather deal with _anyone_ but him- but then thought better of it. “I don’t mind,” she said simply.

“You will when you meet him."

The edge in his tone made it obvious that whatever relationship he had with his TA wasn’t pleasant. That wasn’t surprising. Rey sympathized for anyone who had to work under his instruction, which, apparently, might have been a lot of people in a very influential company. Thinking of that, she asked, “Will you not be there at any other time?”

“No,” he stated.

Rey waited for an elaborating but quickly realized waiting for one was fruitless. She might have earned one from a more considerate professor, maybe, but he was far from that. She sighed. “I’ll stop by once I’m finished." 

“Good,” he said. He took a sip of his coffee for the first time since he approached her.

Rey took note of his coat and leather gloves again. They were expensive-looking. Clothes that could only be afforded by a high-scale job. A nagging voice in the back of Rey’s head wouldn’t let her drop the subject that’s been worming itself into her brain since last night. “Really, Professor Ren, this wouldn’t be an issue if you just had office hours," she said. "Are you really so busy?”

“Why?" His dark eyes searched her face. "Do you require additional tutelage?” 

For some reason, the mental image of sitting alone with Professor Ren in an office while he tutored her and stared at her like he was staring at her now, as if she was an open book full of secrets he wanted to know, made Rey blush further.

“No. But maybe other students do,” she persisted, not wanting to change the topic. She needed to hear him admit the truth about his other job, just to see if he would be shocked or embarrassed.

“You’re the only one that’s been so persistent,” he said. Rey opened her mouth, about to disagree again, but he continued, “My office is in the Solo Building. Room 506. Tell Hux I gave you permission to see me.”

Rey folded her hands and looked out the window. “Fine.”  

When she looked back, he was already headed towards the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coffee shop AU? No, not at all, but coffee shops are hard to avoid where college settings are concerned. 
> 
> Also, I realized too late that I made a dumb error regarding a name of a canon character in previous chapters. It's all fixed now, but the character of "Lara Connix" was actually supposed to be called Kaydel Connix as she is in the canon. Kaydel is a high-ranking Resistance member and is played by Carrie Fisher's lovely daughter, Billie Lourd. I have no idea how the typo happened. So, to clear up any confusion, all future references to the "Lara" mentioned in previous chapters will be made with the real, canon name _Kaydel_ Connix. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments and bookmarks. I love hearing from you all.


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